The Old Folks Home

[chickadoodles]

with smilies, you have to "click" where you want them to go. For instance want one here - click

want one near the bottom, scroll down first, then click

tah dah !!

Thanks Diva. I'll try that.

Hey it worked! Thanks!

 

[pennyJo1960]

huh not enough coffee yet

 

[microchick]

I had something interesting happen yesterday that gave me a glimpse of 'chicken psychology'. My broody Buff O hen is still with her 8 week old youngsters. She has been an excellent mom and is still guarding these youngsters with zeal. Yesterday I moved them to a bigger coop. 4 of her little ones are OEGBs and I think their smaller size has her thinking they are younger than they really are. Since the nights have been colder I figured that putting a mature rooster in with them at night would offer them a little added warming plus a little more protection.

I've been using my 20 month old roosters and two of the 9 month old cockerels for "Daddy Duty" as I have been call it. They have been very good to the babies and mom has tolerated their presence, so last night the first rooster I could grab was a 20 month old BO cockerel. I told him he had Daddy Duty tonight, put him in the coop and closed the door. I tell ya, all h-e-double toothpicks broke out in that coop. The rooster was throwing himself against the door in a blind terror trying to get away from mom who was suddenly a fury that was trying seriously to kill him. Naturally I rescued him and got him settled down. He is a sweet, gentle rooster so I couldn't understand what was going on. I put him in the main coop and grabbed another 20 month old cockerel, this one a Welsummer Buff O cross and put him in the juvenile's coop.

Nothing happened. Mom was happy, babies were happy, daddy bird wasn't too happy but he dealt with it.

What made that hen reject the first cockerel as a companion? The cross bred cockerel is higher in their society than the pure BO is the only thing I can figure. Rose, the rejected cockerel has been good with the hens.

Anybody have any other observations on the subject.

Hey Superchemicalgirl! Remember that old song? "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road?"

 

[pennyJo1960]

had to pull it up great old song second cup on the way thank
you hadn't heard that in years

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:
I think there's a link to it somewhere on this thread. Posted a year or more ago; probably during one of SCG's previous skunk adventures.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Darn. I thought I was done incubating till at least Christmas.
I may be tempted to violate my own rule against ever incubating pullet eggs.
The 3 oldest new pullets have been laying a little over a week and started at 27 weeks. Their eggs have been pretty darn big for pullet eggs.
They've all been between 60 and 70 grams. I guess that's the advantage of delaying onset of lay.
Usually they start out around 50 grams and sometimes less.

 

[ronott1]

Darn. I thought I was done incubating till at least Christmas.
I may be tempted to violate my own rule against ever incubating pullet eggs.
The 3 oldest new pullets have been laying a little over a week and started at 27 weeks. Their eggs have been pretty darn big for pullet eggs.
They've all been between 60 and 70 grams. I guess that's the advantage of delaying onset of lay.
Usually they start out around 50 grams and sometimes less.

The only problem with incubating pullet eggs is if they are very small--like 37G for large fowl. Since your "pullet" eggs are already going into Jumbo, The are actually getting into the upper limit of ideal for hatching.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Quote:

I think there's a link to it somewhere on this thread. Posted a year or more ago; probably during one of SCG's previous skunk adventures.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The only problem with incubating pullet eggs is if they are very small--like 37G for large fowl. Since your "pullet" eggs are already going into Jumbo, The are actually getting into the upper limit of ideal for hatching.

I don't think I've ever had a Pene pullet egg go under 43 grams.
I was thinking about shell thickness but since they're so big already, the shells shouldn't be too thick.
I think I'm going to seal them in plastic for a bit, chill them and wait another week to see if I have enough to fire up the incubator.

 

[ronott1]

I don't think I've ever had a Pene pullet egg go under 43 grams.
I was thinking about shell thickness but since they're so big already, the shells shouldn't be too thick.
I think I'm going to seal them in plastic for a bit, chill them and wait another week to see if I have enough to fire up the incubator.

That is a great plan!

The problem is not shell thickness it is the size of the chick compared to the space in the egg.

Chicks get out of the shell because of the egg tooth. If they do not get out, then the egg tooth was missing. I have had this happen--A perfectly healthy chick did not even pip! No egg tooth on that one.